Conventionally, pickup trucks include a tailgate at the back of a bed that closes off a cargo box. Often times, the truck bed is not long enough to hold the cargo, so truck bed extenders have been developed. The truck bed extenders work in conjunction with the open tailgate in order to provide additional length to the bed. Some of the bed extenders mount to the outside of the tailgate or to the box itself, which may be convenient for deployment, but they tend to interfere with cargo space in the box since the bed extender, when not in use, protrudes into the box. Moreover, it is typical for the vehicle operator to employ the extender only occasionally, so it is generally undesirable to have the extender exposed at all times, which detracts from the attractiveness of the vehicle.
Additionally, it is sometimes desirable to have an extender that can provide other functions in addition to a bed extender, such as a box extender function—an upwardly extending structure from the rearmost edge of an open tailgate that mimics the function of a closed tailgate. Such arrangements are particularly useful for carrying a load that is longer than the bed, but needs rearward support like a closed tailgate provides in order to prevent the load from falling backwards off the truck. Again, though, typical box extenders that provide adequate functionality are externally mounted and not only detract from the vehicle appearance when not in use but also require changes to the box for mounting such extenders. Also, most of these types of extenders are very cumbersome to deploy and later stow away, thus being undesirable for the operator to use. Such functions may be provided with simple ergonomic operation of the assembly, while still allowing for an attractive appearance for the vehicle when the extender is stowed during periods of non-use. Thus, while the exterior mounted extenders may be able to perform multiple functions, they still suffer from the drawbacks of an unattractive appearance and taking up room in the bed even when not in use.
Another drawback with common bed extenders is that a desirable feature of conventional tailgates may be lost. That is, a conventional tailgate has an ornamental plastic tailgate molding mounted along its top surface. It is meant to provide a surface along which cargo can be slid into the bed without the concern of rusting due to paint being scraped off. Some bed extender designs interfere with or cause the elimination of this molding, further detracting from the appearance of the vehicle.
Positioning the extended supplemental tailgate structure generally perpendicularly to the plane of the main tailgate structure, while the main tailgate structure is moved to an open position such that the plane of the tailgate structure is substantially parallel to the bed of the pickup truck, places the extended supplemental tailgate structure in an orientation that is substantially parallel to the main tailgate structure when the main tailgate structure is in a normal closed position. In such an extended position, the supplemental tailgate can provide a restriction to the rearward movement of objects located on the bed of the pickup truck. Furthermore, such an extended position of the supplemental tailgate can provide support for objects placed on top of the supplemental tailgate. The extended supplemental tailgate, however, has a limited support structure on the main tailgate and would have enhanced stability if support members were provided to extend between the extended supplemental tailgate and the body of the pickup truck.
The utilization of a pivoting cage as an apparatus for restraining cargo on the bed of pick-up trucks is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,123, issued to Gerard Kmita, et al on Apr. 1, 2003, wherein a cage assembly is mounted to the D-pillar of the pick-up truck to be movable between a position resting on the opened tailgate and a position resting on the bed to form an enclosed compartment between the cage and the closed tailgate. This fixed cage is also movable into a folded orientation against the tailgate when storage is desired by folding the side pieces against the end piece. Such a storage position for the cage structure will reduce the overall available length of the cargo bed for utilization.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,392, issued to Horst Leitner, et al on Oct. 19, 2004, a pivoting cage is disclosed for use as a supplemental tailgate and as a cargo retaining apparatus, depending on which pivoted position the cage is oriented. The cage is of a fixed configuration spanning transversely between the side walls of the cargo bed and is pivotally attached to the side walls of the cargo bed for movement between the two orientations. Storage of the cage structure is accomplished by removing the cage from the cargo bed and placing it somewhere remotely from the vehicle. Convenient storage of the cage apparatus cannot be accomplished without removal of the cage apparatus from the vehicle. If large cargo items need to be loaded into the cargo bed, this cage apparatus would have to be removed and cannot be conveniently stored.
A cage storage device can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,103, granted to Wayne Ducote on Sep. 15, 1992, in which a top wall is supported on the top rails of the side walls, while a rearward cage wall extends transversely between the side walls to define a caged storage area at the forward portion of the cargo bed. This cage structure is not pivotal or movable into different orientations. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,913, granted on Oct. 19, 1993, a cage-like netting is mounted on a pivoted bar to be movable between a lowered position defining a cargo retaining area between the netting and the front wall of the cargo bed. This pivoted device cannot be positioned in conjunction with the tailgate to provide a supplemental tailgate apparatus, or provide a folded storage configuration.
Supplemental tailgate devices are found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,392, issued to Joseph Meinke on Apr. 2, 2002, and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,454,338, issued to David Glickman on Sep. 24, 2002. Such supplemental tailgate devices can be selectively deployed from a storage position housed internally of the tailgate to an upright, operative position, which in conjunction with the lowered tailgate provides an extended cargo bed area that encompasses the floor of the cargo bed and the contiguous top surface of the tailgate. Such supplemental tailgate devices, however, can only restrain cargo passing directly rearwardly over the tailgate. Any cargo that would be loosely positioned on the cargo bed would be able to pass diagonally off the tailgate without encountering the supplemental tailgate device. Furthermore, loose cargo items having a small size can also pass rearwardly through these supplemental tailgate devices.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a cargo bed extending device that is in the form of a pivoting cage, yet can be conveniently configured into a storage position that would permit the utilization of the full length of the cargo bed, while allowing the pivoting cage to be deployed transversely across the cargo bed as needed.